Published: October 7, 2010

What does the busy college student do in a day? Are there endless classes to take, meetings to attend, work to go to and assignments to complete? Is there sleep deprivation and internships or days of slacking and nights of karaoke? Is there all play and no work, or no work and all play? Or have students managed to find the perfect balance to all these things?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statstics, students spend as much time on leisure and sports as they do on educational activities, and spend a comparable amount of time at work or doing work-related activities. The study also shows that students sleep an average 8-and-a-half hours per night. The question is, however, do Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) students follow this trend?

As a  college smack dab in the middle of the city that never sleeps, FCLC provides students with an endless amount of recreational opportunities steps away from campus, many more opportunities than the average college student in a college town has. But along with the opportunities to party all night, shop all day and eat some of the best cuisine in the world, FCLC’s location also grants students access to a multitude of job opportunities.

And with so much going on, it’s no surprise students are left with some difficult decisions. Do they make a tough schedule packed with work, school, interning and little time for themselves or do they opt for an easygoing route with less school, no work and more fun?

“My leisure time is very small compared to work, class and work study, but I multitask,” said Noelle Gallagher, FCLC ’12. “I try to get all my work done while at work which might not be the best thing… but my weekends are pretty free.”

Gallagher isn’t the only FCLC student, who finds herself multitasking to get everything done.

“I work two jobs, I’m a senior and I cannot tell you where my time goes,” said Maggie Eckl, FCLC ’11. “I do not sleep. I used to be on the e-board for ISIS and I have no time anymore. I don’t think that I’m typical of FCLC students; I think that I do way more. My friends also do a lot but I would say that I’m on the crazy side.”

Some students seem to bite off more than they can chew and others avoid such a situation by not overwhelming themselves.

“In a typical day I usually have about two or three classes and as far as homework goes, I’m a freshman so I normally spend only about one or two hours on work,” said Adil Sadik, FCLC ’14. “I have lots of free time, and I think my schedule is pretty typical of a freshman. I do have a four-day week, however, while most students have a five-day week.”

Other students have circumstances which make for more work, or less, because of programs, years or an extra commute.

“I have to study a lot, probably due to my major [being] natural science. The commute also makes things harder. I’m not involved in any extracurricular activities,” said Andreiana Laucet, FCLC ’13.

“I spend about two hours a day doing work,” said Wenyuan Zhang, FCLC ’11. “It depends on how much work the teacher gives us and sometimes we get less work being in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program. Sometimes we do presentations and I have to spend a lot of time doing research. Because of my lifestyle, I only have free time on the weekends and because I’m attempting to take my [graduate school entry exam], I also have to take my own time to study for that and do the work that’s assigned.”

“I would say we do a lot less work than undergrad students”, said Kelly Barrett, FCLC second-year graduate student. “The work is more concentrated, so we might have a crazy week and then do nothing for a couple of weeks. I also have an internship which I have to do work for and I don’t do any school-organized activities.”

Other students have a luxurious morning and a busy afternoon.

“For me, it depends on the semester” said Dan Drolet, FCLC ’12. “My alarm goes off at around 9 a.m. and I realize I have nowhere to be  until 2:30 p.m. I usually think about taking a shower and doing some homework, and then when I get to class it’s usually about halfway done. I have a lot of meetings at night. My schedule involves a lot of procrastination, and I would say that it’s pretty typical for an upperclassman.”

The verdict seems to be that FCLC students, just like students everywhere, are unique.

Some like to cram their schedules full, while others need breathing space. Some need extra cash, while others think about their future medical plans. Some are early risers and others are late risers, some are commuters and some are residents, and some are steady workers and others procrastinators. Each student does what they need to do to get through and although the general average may apply to Fordham students, it’s apparent that each one accomplishes work, play and sleep in a different way.